DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Palus Politicus Starbucks and Amazon make a Right turn in Seattle

Liberal darlings make conservative turn over Seattle's new 'homeless' tax

Seattle’s new ‘head tax’ blasted by city’s mega-corporations

A new tax approved by the Seattle City Council has triggered a fierce war of words between the liberal city and its behemoth corporations usually known for their progressive outlook.

Starbucks and Amazon are now blasting the decision to slap a new “head tax” on businesses to pay for homeless services and affordable housing -- saying the government's own lack of efficiency is to blame for the city’s woes.

“The city does not have a revenue problem – it has a spending efficiency problem,” Drew Herdener, Amazon vice president, said in a statement. “We are highly uncertain whether the city council’s anti-business positions or its spending inefficiency will change for the better.”

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/05/...rporations.html


Funny how taking other people's money to pay for Liberal/Progressive Government is offensive when it is your money they are looking to take.

Thank you Left Coast Liberals for helping us create new Conservatives.

You get what you ask for.

As Margaret Thatcher once said "the trouble with socialism is that you eventually run out of other peoples money".

Another Fox News bombshell! Did I hear a pffft...

Amazon literally pays no taxes.

If that's true, shouldn't you liberals be attacking them? I mean, we hear all the time about GE, or whatever company not paying any taxes.

Why aren't you going after Amazon?

did u see that thread was about them being assessed a new tax by the town or did you skip over the part? It was the OP if you can't find the post.

If I am not mistaken, GE was one of O's biggest supporters and contributors.

GE supports every politician, like any good company worth $100k+

uh huh, pretty sure the CEO is obamas best bud, and was his job czar. They also haven't received the amount the cash since O left either.

Generous offer

The Unholy Marriage of GE and Obama

You mean the exact same CEO who was on Trump's manufacturing team? Sure, sweety. It doesn't take a genius businessman to realize the best way to help your business grow is by having a good relationship with anyone and everyone in politics.

Amen to that bro and hopefully its just the beginning.

So we just gonna act like that quote isn't accurate?



In my line of work I am constantly beating out people who bid things for a living. Like you're in damn procurement and I can find things at a better price than you! I have 1/10th of the resources you're just lazy or inefficient! (I don't actually say that to them lol)

Seattle needs you, California too!

Start packing, I will get you a travel pass from Trump.

Cities do have a spending problem....but they are spending on things that the peeps seem to want until the bill comes due.

I don’t feel bad for amazon or Star sucks....$275 for an employee....heads up employees....your companies are laying the ground work for saying they can’t affird a 13 cent/hr raise for you next year (which is essentially the cost of inflation).

Starbucks employees, customers express concern over new policy: 'I can't see how this will work'

Starbucks announced a new policy Saturday that allows anyone to occupy the coffee shop or use the store’s facilities, even if they don’t buy anything, but many are left to wonder if it’ll have a negative impact.

The “Third Place Policy” maintains that employees should consider anyone who enters Starbucks space, including restrooms, cafes and patios, a customer “regardless of whether they make a purchase,” the company said in a statement.

“We are committed to creating a culture of warmth and belonging where everyone is welcome,” Starbucks said.
Wait, there's more...

Customers using the space must still follow a set of general guidelines, which requires them to use spaces as intended, be considerate of others, communicate with respect, and act responsibly, or they might be asked to leave.
and more...

In a Starbucks subreddit, people are voicing concerns that the new policy will lead to stores being filled with homeless people and drug users. One user who claims they work at a Chicago Starbucks wrote that a homeless person using the bathroom got into a fight with a customer and police requested to see the store policy before taking action.

Someone claiming to be an employee who works at a store in the loop in Chicago said they hate the new policy because the store bathrooms have turned into a hub for drug activity. “We haven’t been allowed to change our bathroom codes since April. So almost all the junkies and homeless people know the code now. About once a week we find needles, drug baggies, blood all over the toilet or walls,” the user wrote.
http://www.foxnews.com/food-drink/2018/0...-will-work.html

Congrats all Inclusive Starbucks!
You have turned yourselves into the Public Toilet!

Libs, gotta love em.

There is nothing wrong with this tactic. It gets people in the door, and chances are they will buy something,

I use this same tactic on my games. Freemium business model. Look it up.

I disagree.
Like the customers and employees are saying, every street bum and druggie is going to go there to relieve themselves and the people who can pay that much for coffee on a daily basis will go somewhere else.

Nothing stopped people from going in there to use the toilets before. Or sitting in their lobby. There are no lobby police at Starbucks.

This is a great business strategy to "get butts in the seats" as we used to say at Delta.

But, you are not a business person, so I guess you wouldn't understand.

yea, once people start sitting there for a while, they maybe get thirsty, or see that muffin in the window, etc., and before you know it, more people are ordering.

i've seen nightclubs/bars do this. normally charge a cover, but then just let people in, and end up making even more off people buying drinks.

Oh, I understand alright. Just watch.

This ain't working from home, this is inner city where bathrooms and air conditioning are in short supply. Those people who used to use the alley are not free to use Starbucks.

We will see as time goes by.

Pretty sure Starbucks isnt very inner city.

But regardless, basically all fastfood joints dont care if you walk in and use the restroom.

Or gas stations, for that matter.

Starbucks revenue in 2017 was 22.39 billion...

What was yours?

What percentage of that came from people that stopped in to only use the bathroom?

This isn't just about using the bathrooms, it is also an invite to sit and hang out.

I am glad all the homeless in Seattle will finally have an air conditioned place to go.

What do you really spout off for ? You give a rats ass about homeless and Starbucks so why opine about it ? Ya don't like it boycott the store ( not like you patronize it on the regular anyway ) . They made a decision that will impact thier business one of two ways so why does it matter to you ?

What youre not seeing is all the college students and young people who will come to hangout and use the free wifi. Chances are they will buy something, and become repeat patrons.

What's your point Arch ? If it turns out to be a bad business move then that's on them why does it matter to you ? I got better things to spend my money on than $8 coffee so I'm not a big patron of Starbucks but they stepped on thier Johnson and are now trying to minimize the backlash ...don't understand the issue.

Not to mention all those 'as yet to be discovered' screenwriters. They needs they caffeine to get Act 3 finished...

My point is homeless people don't buy Starbucks. And having a bevy of homeless people sitting in a Starbucks is not something those who choose to patronize starbucks are wanting to see.

Sounds brutal, I know. I don't mean it to sound that way, but hey man, reality, right?




And Eve, pretty much all colleges have free wi-fi, and much cheaper coffee. On campus.

And to all - who the hell goes to starbucks to guy something they can make at home, for 1/10 or less the price? Oh - people that want to 'present'. That's who.

JMO

Arch: "Who goes to Starbucks to buy overpriced coffee??? And sit around on free wifi??? Nobody does that."
Starbucks: "Oh hey. Let me stroke my billions of dollars that says people do that."

You are 100% correct.

And they ain't making billions off of the homeless. Nuff said. (plus, starbucks is a prestige thing, as in "oh, I went to starbucks to get my...." whatever the hell they call it.)

We'll see how this works out, won't we?

Oh, I should congratulate you on taking PDF's posting style of..........making crap up and attributing it to someone. Nice work.

Can't handle the heat, get out of the kitchen.

Oh, I handled the heat, and burned you. Homeless people aren't buying crap at starbucks, and I guarantee, starbucks business plan doesn't revolve around homeless people. I promise you that is true.

It's business plan relies on upper middle class people that have money to burn, in order to 'appear' a certain way.

You wish you burned me.

Youre like the dude on naked and afraid wishing for fire when he is hiding from the rain under a bush.

If you are going to believe some homeless people army flooding starbucks in the inner city, then

1) You dont dont understand starbucks demographics or locations
2) You also dont understand that this policy is nothing new. They always pimped their free wifi and services. It was just never in the news before.

Ok.

You got burned.

Starbucks employees, customers express concern over new policy: 'I can't see how this will work'

http://www.foxnews.com/food-drink/2018/0...-will-work.html

Starbucks announced a new policy Saturday that allows anyone to occupy the coffee shop or use the store’s facilities, even if they don’t buy anything, but many are left to wonder if it’ll have a negative impact.

The “Third Place Policy” maintains that employees should consider anyone who enters Starbucks space, including restrooms, cafes and patios, a customer “regardless of whether they make a purchase,” the company said in a statement.

Customers using the space must still follow a set of general guidelines, which requires them to use spaces as intended, be considerate of others, communicate with respect, and act responsibly, or they might be asked to leave.

This policy comes after the company faced intense scrutiny and backlash when two black men were arrested at a Starbucks in Philadelphia.

The incident, which CEO Kevin Johnson has called "reprehensible," took place last month and quickly made headlines after video of the arrest circulated online.

According to officials, the officers were told the men were refusing to leave after being denied use of the restroom since they hadn’t purchased anything.

Cellphone footage shows police talking to the two men sitting at a table before handcuffing them and leading them outside. Their friend arrives, a white man identified as real estate developer Andrew Yaffe, and tells police they were waiting for him, but an officer says the men were not complying and were being arrested for trespassing.

Johnson said shortly after the men’s arrest that the company had made a “mistake” and was working to “take appropriate action,” including a review of company policies.



“We are committed to creating a culture of warmth and belonging where everyone is welcome,” Starbucks said.


...But the resulting Third Party Policy is being called into question by both customers and employees alike, who wonder what impact it’ll have on stores, specifically in urban locations.

In a Starbucks subreddit, people are voicing concerns that the new policy will lead to stores being filled with homeless people and drug users. One user who claims they work at a Chicago Starbucks wrote that a homeless person using the bathroom got into a fight with a customer and police requested to see the store policy before taking action.

“This is exactly the kind of behavior that I fear will drive all the regular customers away, at least from urban locations. Opposing racism is nice and all, but it is not the responsibility of Starbucks to resolve all urban problems at one location let alone turn its stores into homeless drop-in centers,” another user wrote in response.

On another thread debating the new policy, a Starbucks customer expressed similar concerns. “I can't see how this will work in urban areas with large homeless/mentally ill populations... I just worry about how many employees will be put in danger (or get fired) until this happens,” the user wrote.

Someone claiming to be an employee who works at a store in the loop in Chicago said they hate the new policy because the store bathrooms have turned into a hub for drug activity. “We haven’t been allowed to change our bathroom codes since April. So almost all the junkies and homeless people know the code now. About once a week we find needles, drug baggies, blood all over the toilet or walls,” the user wrote.

However, others argue that while there was never an official policy in place until now, many stores operated under similar guidelines before the April incident.

“I was trained on this two years ago when I started. That whole controversy was caused by someone who didn’t follow policy. In fact, they went completely against policy. The only time we’re supposed to kick anyone out of the store is if they are bothering other customers or are damaging the café,” someone wrote.

“At my store, we were never allowed to kick out customers that didn’t buy anything. And we don’t have a code on our bathrooms so anyone can use them,” someone else added.

In addition to the official Third Place Policy, Starbucks also plans to implement “unconscious bias” training by closing more than 8,000 company-owned stores across the U.S. on May 29 to conduct “racial bias training.”

I think you have a jealousy problem.

Dog and Pony show.

Starbucks got some bad press. So, they did the pc thing and went all out on saying "anyone is allowed in here."

Nothing more, nothing less. They had to go for good press now.

And, they don't make the money they do on offering free wi fi and free bathrooms. They make money of paying customers. Those that think 'having a starbucks' makes them look good.

JMO.